Jose-Massu-Espinel
Ardbeg 25 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
June 21, 2023 (edited November 13, 2023)
When talking about rare whiskies, an open bottle of an Ardbeg, that has been matured for at least one quarter of a century is quite the finding.
Since the release of this new 25yo expression, i have been searching for a glass of it, but it was impossible to get until the day i entered the great bar at Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. There, along other incredible findings, it was available for the humble public to drink it without having to pay for a full bottle.
Bottled at 46%abv, it is the oldest age statement for an Ardbeg these days. The only other 25yo expression that existed before this one, was the mythical "Lord of the Isles", a whisky that i have been seeking but i never found.
On the nose, it took a long time to fully open. Cardamom, red chilli and Ardbeg's traditional peat. Acid prunes, a pair of new socks and floral notes. It has an orange aroma that i find so rare for an Ardbeg. It is like a pair of wet converse shoes. A little dim, not too clean and lacking some emotion.
On the palate, it starts with vanilla and a note that i can describe as muddy water. Acid prunes, earthy and herbal. Spices and smoke on the second sip; salt. Grassy and herbal.
Aftertaste was too straightforward, but rewarding. A classic note of a can of new tennis balls. Red chilli and salt.
Overall, i was a little underwhelmed by this one. It is not a bad whisky by any means, but for a thousand dollars, you expect complexity, layers of aromas and flavors, but that does not occur here. This one feels like it has lost the smokey profile and the power that you know from this distillery, and that is something that i have been noticing in old Ardbegs, and this one is no exception to that rule. I truly believe that younger expressions are better. My score for it is a honest 89 over 100.
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@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington parafilm brings back memories…i used it for test tube storage. Never thought back in the day I’d still be using it, except now to store valuable liquor.
The whiskey sounds ok, but I’m really here to wax poetic about Parafilm - once the stuff of 1ml aliquot tubes and -80deg freezers, easily pilfered from whatever lab I was rotating in, and now used to seal whiskey bottles for long term storage only to be reopened 3mo later… admittedly I’ve given up on gassing and sealing bottles but should probably reconsider sealing the unopened ones I’m saving for the future?
@cascode yeah— most valuable ones, I’ve sealed the top in parafilm
@PBMichiganWolverine Are your bottles sealed in any way? I’d recommend encapsulating the top with Parafilm. I’ve done this for all my “keepers”. No matter the climate the contents can evaporate through micro-spaces in and around some corks.
@cascode and this is why you’re called Sage. That’s good to hear…mine are in a temperature controlled storage facility. I have all my Hanyus, Karuizawas, old Macallans , Lags, and Ardbegs stored there. So now the only thing I’ll need to worry about is forgetting to pay the storage bill, and the contents being thrown into a dumpster. Or worse…sold to a local fraternity where they’ll imbibe on it mixed with Coke/Pepsi
@PBMichiganWolverine It's probably better than ever :-) Phenol decay happens in the cask as part of maturation, the breathing of the cask introducing oxygen which speeds the breakdown. Once in the bottle this does not happen. Whisky does change over an extended time in glass, in my opinion anyway, but it's a way slower process and not really "maturation" as it happens in wood. It's more like super gradual melding and increase in complexity - a much more subtle process which in my experience is always positive, except where the bottle has not been well stored.
@cascode does the smoke and phenols degrade more in the bottle as well? I have the 25yr Lord of the Isles…wondering if no longer a Lord, but maybe a Pauper at this point
If you want phenols, particularly guaiacol and cresol aromas, the whisky needs youth as these compounds decay over time and are pretty much missing in action after 20 years. Old smoky whiskys have their own lovely charms, but simple fist-in-the-face smokiness is not one of them.
Unfortunately, time is no friend to phenols. Cheers! 🥃🥃